Gifted boy, 15, took own life in garden at family home without leaving heartbroken parents any ‘letter or clues’

A GIFTED schoolboy took his own life in the garden of his family home without leaving his devastated parents any “clues”, an inquest heard.

Sam Moores, 15, was on course to receive top grades at the prestigious £24,000 -a-year King Edward VI School when the tragedy unfolded.

He was discovered hanged in his family’s two acre garden in Winchester, Hampshire, in February last year by his heartbroken mum.

Sam’s parents, who are both veterinary surgeons, have now “urged parents to talk to their children” after an inquest failed to find a reason for his suicide.

Alison and Andrew Moores said “we had no indications from Sam that he was wanting to take his own life”.

A coroner ruled that Sam must have been “desperately suffering from something” but it is not clear what.

The inquest heard the teen was passionate about computer science and coding and was excited for his upcoming Duke of Edinburgh expedition.

He was also looking forward to his Year 11 prom to mark the end of his exams, which he had been doing very well in, the court heard.

A few of Sam’s friends mentioned he was “quieter” leading up to his death, they said it was nothing out of the ordinary.

His parents agreed there was nothing unusual about the way he was acting in the days prior to his death.

The day before he took his own life, Sam had baked biscuits while listening to music as his mum joked he was her “favourite son”.

He was also filmed laughing and joking with his older brother Jack, 18, as they climbed a tree in the back garden.

The following day, Andrew went to work while Alison stayed at home.

She went for a shower and noticed one of Sam’s dirty socks on the floor, but when she threw it into his room she saw he was not there.

Alison also spoke to Jack, who began looking for his brother as it was unusual for him to leave without saying goodbye, the inquest heard.

Tragically, the mum found Sam in the garden and screamed for help – prompting a neighbour to rush over.

He was rushed to hospital but sadly could not be saved.

Sam’s devices were searched but nothing was found that indicated his intentions, the court was told.

CCTV from the house showed him trying to sneak out of the house the night before his death but he turned back when he made a noise.

The inquest heard this suggested he “did not want to be seen or rescued”.

Senior Coroner for Hampshire Christopher Wilkinson ruled Sam’s death as a suicide but “frustratingly” could not come to a conclusion as to why.

He said: “I have no clues to help me understand why Sam was doing this.

“The objective of any inquest has to be an objective assessment of what he was thinking and unfortunately we don’t have the evidence to do that. He left no letter or clues.

“This is a source of upset and frustration for me, for you and for everyone involved. I can only say that Sam was desperately suffering from something in his life or view at that time.”

Sam’s parents and brother Jack said Sam was an “amazing young man who we loved so much”.

They added: “We were, and still are, devastated by his death, which was completely unexpected. We take comfort in the knowledge that he lived life to the full and had loving family and friends around him.

“Since Sam’s death we have been supporting Papyrus, a national charity dedicated to the prevention of suicide and the promotion of positive mental health and emotional well being in young people.

“We wish dearly that Sam had talked to us, or someone else, about how he was feeling before he died. Papyrus run a 24/7 helpline for young people or those concerned for others. Ours was a normal happy family.

“We had no indications from Sam that he was wanting to take his own life. We would urge all parents to talk to their children about mental health and suicide and make them aware of the Papyrus 24/7 helpline.

“Finally, we would like to thank all the emergency service personnel who attended on the 20th February last year for their kindness and compassion, and for those and others that have supported us through this ordeal since.”